A l'heure de la desaffection des traditions religieuses historiques, les couvents, les monasteres et les abbayes qui emaillent les paysages de nos villes et de nos campagnes sont menaces de desherence?: les communautes qui les ont batis, habites et qui en ont assure la survie n'ont plus les moyens d'assumer leur charge patrimoniale. En meme temps que s'impose l'affection citoyenne pour ces vastes ensembles et leurs jardins, ceux-ci sont de plus en plus convoites a des fins de developpement. Que faire de cet heritage riche et lourd?? Cet ouvrage collectif regroupe des contributions qui apportent des pistes de reflexion sur les problemes de la secularisation, de la reaffectation ou de la gouvernance d'anciens ensembles conventuels. Il vise egalement a nourrir la discussion sur les implications financieres, juridiques, urbanistiques et memorielles du changement de vocation des couvents et de leur mise en valeur. In this time of abandonment of historical religious traditions, the convents, monasteries, and abbeys that punctuate our rural and urban landscapes are in danger of becoming escheated properties. The communities who built them, lived in them, and have thus far ensured their survival can no longer bear the burden of their heritage value. These magnificent properties and their gardens are increasingly the objects of society's affection, and yet at the same time are more and more coveted by real estate developers. What is to be done with such a rich and weighty legacy? This collective publication brings together contributions that provide ways of thinking about the issues of secularization, adaptive reuse, or the governance of former religious buildings. It also intends to contribute to the debate on the financial, legal, urbanistic, and memorial implications of the new destinies of convents and their redevelopment.
